If you're a carfree cyclist, you probably ride almost everyday. You're probably doing some very routine things on a bike, such as trips to the laundry or the corner store for a gallon of milk. And you probably cover some repetitive territory, like the exact same route to work five times a week. Basically, you're using your bike like other people use cars. And people do complain how boring it is to run errands and commute in their cars.

So what about bikes? Are you ever bored riding your bike on routine errands, or any other times?

Artkansas

01-21-14 01:51 PM

I rode a century once. After 70 miles I was very bored and the only reason that I finished the ride was that finishing it was the fastest way back to the rental car to drive home.

Mobile 155

01-21-14 01:56 PM

I get tires sometimes, I get anxious about time frames sometimes and I might even have some dread about starting out if it is real hot or cold. But I don't think I get bored. It might be because I am not 100 percent car free and I have other choices but I think it is because cycling is active. You have to be more aware of the changing road conditions and have to constantly adjust for them. It was the same with sailing, Back Packing, even Motorcycle riding. But even during the years I was car free years ago I didn't get bored commuting, shopping or trekking with my bike/bikes.

Smallwheels

01-21-14 02:41 PM

Yes it is boring at times. If I were riding with someone else it would be more interesting.

enigmaT120

01-21-14 03:18 PM

My commute is boring when it's dark. That's a lot of the year.

Nothing to see but the road and sometimes eyes looking at me from the woods. I keep telling myself that it's better than running on a treadmill.

Pedaleur

01-21-14 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobile 155
(Post 16429224)

I get tires sometimes, I get anxious about time frames sometimes and I might even have some dread about starting out if it is real hot or cold. But I don't think I get bored. It might be because I am not 100 percent car free and I have other choices but I think it is because cycling is active. You have to be more aware of the changing road conditions and have to constantly adjust for them. It was the same with sailing, Back Packing, even Motorcycle riding. But even during the years I was car free years ago I didn't get bored commuting, shopping or trekking with my bike/bikes.

This is also my sentiment, more or less. Sometimes tired, sore, hurried, frustrated. Never really "bored".

Also car-lite.

GodsBassist

01-21-14 04:47 PM

I don't get bored riding. Riding is my chance to relax. I get lost and 'in the zone.' I only ride for 25ish minutes in the morning and 25ish minutes in the afternoon most days, so it's just enough of a break without being boring, I guess.

350htrr

01-21-14 05:22 PM

I have NEVER been bored while riding my bike in my life... Sometimes I have wished that I wasn't riding that day, as snow & pouring rain are not welcome on my rides...

EDIT; Oh yea I am not car free so can take my bike or truck and that can make a difference I suppose...
EDIT #2; Oh yea, I never get bored driving either, but then 350HP in a small hatchback is fun, even stop light to stop light... :innocent:

Roody

01-21-14 07:17 PM

I won't say I never get bored, but it's rare. Usually if it's a blah cloudy day, and I've been out all day running errands. Maybe it's 7:00 in the evening, I haven't eaten yet, and I've been battling a headwind all day. I might wish I could wiggle my nose and instantly be home, or think, Beam me home Scotty. Usually I just start singing a song and get a move on.

Mobile 155

01-21-14 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedaleur
(Post 16429736)

This is also my sentiment, more or less. Sometimes tired, sore, hurried, frustrated. Never really "bored".

Also car-lite.

That is part of the point of being a cyclist I think. For me it is a passion I believe. Road bikes, MTBs, Utility bikes, Bents and folders are all reasons I even come to these forums. With a Bike I have a real sense of satisfaction that I don't get from any other form of transportation. But then I like the independence cycling offers.

howeeee

01-21-14 08:03 PM

9 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 16428917)

If you're a carfree cyclist, you probably ride almost everyday. You're probably doing some very routine things on a bike, such as trips to the laundry or the corner store for a gallon of milk. And you probably cover some repetitive territory, like the exact same route to work five times a week. Basically, you're using your bike like other people use cars. And people do complain how boring it is to run errands and commute in their cars.

So what about bikes? Are you ever bored riding your bike on routine errands, or any other times?

Never boring for me, every second on a bike is thrilling for me. When I go to sleep i think about bicycles.
When I have nothing to do I watch bicycling videos. I almost always have a bicycle project I am working on. I am 60 years old.

cbr9927

01-21-14 08:23 PM

Sure it does, that's why during the warms months I will alternate car one day-motorcycle next- bicycle next. When you get older each day looks the same and and the same and the same.

gerv

01-21-14 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artkansas
(Post 16429207)

I rode a century once. After 70 miles I was very bored and the only reason that I finished the ride was that finishing it was the fastest way back to the rental car to drive home.

Yeah, I gotta say centuries are equivalent to over-dosing. Give me 40 miles and I'm in love.

B. Carfree

01-21-14 09:40 PM

I came of age in a swimming pool doing two two-hour workouts per day, often short course. After that childhood, I'm immune to boredom.

In town, there's never a dull moment anyway. Between the scofflaw motorists, the poorly-designed segregation-style infrastructure and the overwhelming number of drug-addicted homeless folks around here, there is rarely a moment that does not require my attention when in the saddle. When I take off for some fun on the bike, I often get the chance to simply meditate while turning the pedals. I know I'm having a great ride when I look up and realize I'm fifty-five miles from home and haven't really thought about where I'm going for a couple of hours.

Another reason I can avoid boredom on the bike may be because I don't tend to use one in town for short (less than 10 km round-trip) errands unless I have more to carry than can be easily accommodated in a backpack. In a few minutes I need to go to a grocery store that happens to be five miles away. I'm not buying much, so I'll walk. The first three miles are along the relatively undeveloped riverfront, which is nice, then we pass through the local university before ending with a trip through an old, for Eugene, neighborhood. When we get home, my wife and I will read for an hour or two and then go to bed. Darn, we're really old, aren't we.

wipekitty

01-21-14 10:13 PM

The only times I recall getting somewhat bored were riding the Santa Ana River Trail from Anaheim to Huntington Beach. The ride down always had a headwind, and there wasn't much to see - just a lot of concrete. But, it was worth it to get to the ocean - and some more interesting riding.

I-Like-To-Bike

01-21-14 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 16428917)

And people do complain how boring it is to run errands and commute in their cars.

So what about bikes? Are you ever bored riding your bike on routine errands, or any other times?

I have heard people complain about driving long boring stretches on Interstate highways and/or long empty stretches of highway, but never heard a single person ever complain how boring it is to run errands or commute by bike or car.

Me? I never got bored commuting or running errands by bike, and have audio books and music to make all my journeys more pleasant.

Machka

01-22-14 03:06 AM

The only time I've been bored while cycling was on the Last Chance 1200K across Colorado and Kansas.

Roody

01-22-14 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 16430889)

The only time I've been bored while cycling was on the Last Chance 1200K across Colorado and Kansas.

When I was thinking about boredom before I started this thread, I wondered whether you were ever bored on those insanely long rides. How did you deal with the boredom?

Roody

01-22-14 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 16430719)

I have heard people complain about driving long boring stretches on Interstate highways and/or long empty stretches of highway, but never heard a single person ever complain how boring it is to run errands or commute by bike or car.

Me? I never got bored commuting or running errands by bike, and have audio books and music to make all my journeys more pleasant.

Before starting this thread, I googled boredom and bikes. Almost all of the Internet mentions were related to riding on a stationary bike or trainer. Then there were also a few links related to people getting bored while touring. But I found almost nothing else about boredom while biking. But I thought it might be an issue for people who ride every day under more mundane circumstances. So far that doesn't seem to be the case.

I also did a little poll of some friends and co-workers before I started this thread. My respondents ALL said that they sometimes get bored while driving, both on short trips in the city and on long trips. So it looks like driving is more boring than riding by a wide margin.

mrodgers

01-22-14 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 16431111)

I also did a little poll of some friends and co-workers before I started this thread. My respondents ALL said that they sometimes get bored while driving, both on short trips in the city and on long trips. So it looks like driving is more boring than riding by a wide margin.

The way I drive, it's never boring :D

Machka

01-22-14 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roody
(Post 16431104)

When I was thinking about boredom before I started this thread, I wondered whether you were ever bored on those insanely long rides. How did you deal with the boredom?

Imagination ... although on that ride it was running a bit thin. Fortunately night would fall and then I could imagine there was scenery.

Roody

01-22-14 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrodgers
(Post 16431626)

The way I drive, it's never boring :D

I know...the same thing could be said of both driving and cycling: if it's boring, you ain't doing it right!

Machka

01-23-14 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 16432445)

Imagination ... although on that ride it was running a bit thin. Fortunately night would fall and then I could imagine there was scenery.

A little bit more on this ...

When I get on a bicycle, and for the first hour or two or three, I just let my mind go wherever it wants to go ... work, school, travel past and future, things I've seen on TV, things I've read, music I've listened to recently ... whatever.

And in preparation for that, before a long ride, I'll do things like watch an interesting and perhaps somewhat controversial show on TV, I'll read halfway through a novel, and I'll listen to music I like.

Then I'll focus on specific things which have come up in the free-flow ... specific work or school assignments, projects I want to do, etc. That can take up a few more hours.

When I've pretty much solved all that, then it's up to my imagination to keep me entertained, but it helps if there are some cues ...

I might pass an old house that is half falling over ... so I'll imagine what the house looked like in its prime, how it might have been decorated, who might have lived there, and I might create a story around all that.

I might pass a particularly attractive plot of land, and so I'll "build" and "decorate" a house there ... in great detail.

It's great if I pass another particularly attractive plot of land shortly after I finish the first house because then I can start a whole new and completely different one.

On the Last Chance, I ran out of cues ... there's not much you can do with empty rolling hills. No houses, no towns, no trees, no ponds, no animals ...

Machka

01-23-14 02:02 AM

As for shorter rides, I commuted year-round on the same relatively short route for years and was never bored with it. It changed with the seasons, and I tried to ride it as fast as I could (as a part of the training I was doing for the longer rides) so I was focussed.

But when it comes to recreational rides, I do like some variety. I'll have a "usual" route or two or three for after work, but on the weekends, I like to go somewhere different. :)

Chris L

01-23-14 02:26 AM

Riding the same suburban route to and from work everyday can be, and often is, as boring as batsh!t. For me, commuting on a bike is simply a means of saving time and money, which then allows me to go for a more interesting ride before or after work, and later to travel the world with touring.